THE FAERIE QUEENE by Edmund Spenser TO The ... - Planet.ee

www.TaleBooks.comThe greatest portion of the greedie pray,All on confused heapes themselves assay,And snatch, and byte, and rend, and tug, and teare;That who them sees would wonder at their fray,And who sees not would be affrayd to heare:Such was the conflict of those cruell Brigants there.XVIII. But first of all their captives they doe kill,Least they should joyne against the weaker side,Or rise against the remnant at their will:Old Meliboe is slaine; and him besideHis aged wife, with many others wide;But Coridon, escaping craftily,Creepes forth of dores, whilst darknes him doth hide,And flyes away as fast as he can hye,Ne stayeth leave to take before his friends doe dye.XIX. But Pastorella, wofull wretched Elfe,Was by the Captaine all this while defended,Who, minding more her safety than himselfe,His target alwayes over her pretended;By means whereof, that mote not be amended,He at the length was slaine and layd on ground,Yet holding fast twixt both his armes extendedFayre Pastorell, who, with the selfe same woundLauncht through the arme, fell down with him indrerie swound.XX. There lay she covered with confused preasseOf carcases, which dying on her fell.Tho, when as he was dead, the fray gan ceasse;And each to other calling did compellTo stay their cruell hands from slaughter fell,Sith they that were the cause of all were gone:Thereto they all attonce agreed well;And, lighting candles new, gan search anone,How many of their friends were slaine, how many fone.XXI. Their Captaine there they cruelly found kild,And in his armes the dreary dying mayd,Like a sweet Angell twixt two clouds uphild;Her lovely light was dimmed and decaydWith cloud of death upon her eyes displayd;Yet did the cloud make even that dimmed lightSeeme much more lovely in that darknesse layd,And twixt the twinckling of her eye-lids brightTo sparke out litle beames, like starres in foggie night.XXII. But when they mov'd the carcases aside,They found that life did yet in her remaine:Then all their helpes they busily applydeTo call the soule backe to her home againe;And wrought so well, with labour and long paine,That they to life recovered her at last:Page 699 , Faerie Queene, The - Edmund Spenser